The present invention relates to a juggling tool and, in particular, to a swinging symmetrical poi configuration.
A symmetrical poi is a juggling apparatus that enables performance of various types of juggling moves, possibly the highest number of moves for a single juggling apparatus.
Currently the poi is used as a juggling apparatus in many countries around the globe.
A typical poi is made up of a cable, a wire, a chain, or a cord, connecting one end to a weight and the other end to a handle. By oscillating the hand holding the handle, the weight can be swung in a simple motion in one plane of rotation or in complex changing motions, causing intriguing effects. Adding lights, fire or colorful strips to the weight can create a more fascinating visual effect.
It is common to use a pair of poi, one in each hand, to perform combinations of maneuvers.
The combination of simple structure, visually pleasing performance and enjoyable athletic activity makes the use of the poi popular among professional and amateur jugglers.
The origin of the poi is presumed to be in New Zealand. Poi is a Maori, (native New Zealand language) word for a ball on a string. Poi is both singular and plural.
The first use of the poi, as a simple stone tied to a rope, was as a weapon. Over the time the poi was refined and was also used for fun, ceremonies, dancing, and as a means to develop coordination and athletic abilities.
The evolution of means of warfare to sports, games, toys, and juggling apparatus is a well-known phenomenon, for example, in fencing, nunchaku, javelin throwing, and hammer throwing.
Weapons based on one or more weights connected to a cable, (or wire, chain, cord, string, etc.) which can accumulate energy by revolutions with hand force, were developed in many places in ancient times. Among these weapons are, for example, the Japanese “Ninja Chain”, a long chain, about one meter long, with one weight at each end, the Scottish “Bashing Ball”—a swinging weapon of a heavy ball at one end of a chain, and the South American “Hunting Weapon”, made of four stones at each end of two cords, the cords being tied together at the centers.
The motion of one weight attached to the end of a flexible long strap that is held on the other end and accelerated by rotational movement, for a short time after release from the hand, has a linear ballistic nature. The weight moves forward and the flexible strap drags behind, waving in the air vortex caused by the weight. The trajectory of the moving weight is affected, among other factors, by the gravitational and aerodynamic forces (for movement within the atmosphere of Earth).
If an essentially identical weight is connected to the other end of the flexible strap, and grasped by the rotating hand, then the motion of the two weights attached to the strap's center of gravity is similar to the previous motion, but the two weights have a rotational motion around that center of gravity.
Various forms of two swinging weights connected to a long string are known in the art.
U.S. Pat. No. 672,099, to Jackson, of 1901, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference, teaches the operation of a toy comprising a ring adapted to be placed upon one of the fingers of a hand, the ring being provided at one side with an eyelet and a cord passed through the eyelet and provided at each end with a ball. In the operation of the device the ring is placed on one of the fingers of a hand and one of the balls is thrown of the hand from an operator and the other ball is drawn into the palm of the hand.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,878,868, U.S. Pat. No. RE34,208, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,629,873, all to Shaw, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference, teach a swinging of a weight connected to a long string based on a rigid material structure of the weights, with a third weight with a hole that can slide along the string.
In spite of the teaching of U.S. Pat. No. 4,878,868 that the weights can be made of an edible material or chewing gum, and in spite of the teaching of U.S. Pat. No. 6,629,873 that the weights can be made of material surrounding the weight that is a soft foam and the weight can be made with a material of non-homogeneous density, each of those weights is a single rigid body all of whose components are connected to each other with no free movement among them, excepting plastic or elastic movement.
As used herein the specifications and claims, the term flexible long strap refers to a flat long piece of a flexible material that can easily bent, with the ability to resist to a tension force, absent of elastic ability.
As used herein the specifications and claims, the term soft structure refers to a material having qualities that permit yielding to physical human palm force and permit human fingers to sink in easily.
As used herein the specifications and claims, the term poi refers to a weight connected to one end of a flexible long connector that enables swinging it around the body in various ways by grasping the other end of the connector and moving it with proper movements, serving as a juggling apparatus.
The poi can have a handle at the other end of the connector. Its dimensions and mass configurations are adjusted to the juggler's body size, to assure the ability of performing simple and complex rotational moves around the human body or in proximity to the juggler. These characteristics distinguish the poi from small weights and string hand toys.
The poi weight can contain and carry a variety of means, such as light, fire, strips, or a whistle in order to increase the visual and sound effects of the performance. The visual and sound effects of the performance can be dependent on the symmetrical poi rotational direction, such that when the juggler changes the rotational direction the means change the emitted colored light to another color, a color of another wavelength, or change the emitted sound to another sound, a sound of another wavelength.
A juggler can do moves with one, two, or more poi at the same time.
The absence of a second weight on the poi is a disadvantage. After releasing the poi from the juggler's hand, the poi's nature of motion is the same as any other weight attached to a flexible long connector, and having been accelerated by rotational movement. Because of that nature of motion many movements can not be performed with an asymmetrical poi, such as the throwing of a poi into the air by one juggler and continuation of the rotational movement by a second juggler, or starting the rotation of a poi by one of a juggler's hands in a horizontal course above his head, and after the weight achieves high speed, sliding the juggler's hand along the flexible connector to a point close to the strap center, adding his second hand and maintaining the rotational movement in a similar manner to that of a rigid stick.
Additional another advantage of the symmetrical poi is the using of it as a tool for the improvement of coordination and aerobic and other abilities
There is therefore a need for and it would be highly advantageous to have a symmetrical poi for safely performing a wide variety of new juggling moves, and improving the performance of current poi juggling moves.